What if the praise you’re chasing is quietly pulling you away from the purpose God has for you? We start to seek approval by others at an early age — wanting to be recognized in class, helping dad wash the car, or hearing “nice hit” from the football coach. Unfortunately, as we mature, our focus can shift from wanting to please those close to us, to looking for approval from our...
Every man wants to lead—until he realizes leadership can be a lonely place. Leadership has its rewards, but it’s ups and downs as well—it comes with a unique kind of loneliness. You’re responsible for decisions that affect others. You’re looked to for strength, vision, and resolve. But who checks in on you? Who really knows what’s going on beneath the surface? Our country is experiencing a...
The fastest way to forget your purpose is to focus on someone else’s. Men start to compete in toddlerhood by grabbing toys and wanting to be first in line. By ages 5 to 7, they move on to competing in sports, school, and trophies. Between the ages of 8 and 12, they’re focused on self-worth and popularity. In the years that follow, the competition game includes careers, marriage, skills...
What if the wins we chase in church—serving on every team, leading a group, showing up every week—aren’t the same wins God’s looking for? What if God wasn’t looking to be impressed, but was just looking for obedience? Would you be surprised? It’s unfortunate, how business practices have crept into how churches operate today. It’s getting difficult to tell the difference. I’ve...
We live in a world obsessed with image and influence, instead of one based on love and compassion, humility and service, forgiveness and reconciliation, and spiritual devotion. God does care about integrity. But not how the world defines it. What kind of man are you when nobody’s looking? What’s the end of your day look like — when you’re tired, alone, and the browser’s open? Those are the...
Let’s be real — if you’ve ever been in a situation where you’re meeting men for the first time, attending your first men’s breakfast, or joining the crew handling the parking on Sunday mornings, the question that seems to come up first is “So, what do you do?” Most guys identify themselves by what they do, what they own, or what they’ve accomplished. When starting my first...
Jesus had twelve. You just need a few good men. Most men don’t naturally reach for connection when life gets hard. We hunker down. We put on a brave face. We grind it out. Ask a guy how he’s doing, and the answer will likely be “Fine, I’m good.” We’re taught, “The captain goes down with the ship.” The problem here; is that this Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson attitude creates isolation. Isolation...
Does it feel to you like we are drowning in information and starving for wisdom? I used to start my day by grabbing a cup of coffee and sitting in bed next to my wife Kay as we watched the weather guy bring us the bad news of the day. Next, we’d spend the next 30 to 45 minutes scrolling through the new sites to get their take on what was happening in the world. As I had my breakfast, I used...
I love routines, okay, my wife calls them ruts. Routines can be so predictable. I spent many wonderful mornings writing at Pneuma Coffee House — a ministry of our church. I arrived at the same time. Sat on the same couch. And had the same 12-ounce, decaf latte with almond milk. Daily habits are good. They help us point our day in a good direction. The truth is, most of us know we “should” read...
If your faith doesn’t feel as strong as you think it should be, it’s likely you’ve let your training schedule laps. It’s obvious what happens when we stop working out: our muscles relax, our strength fades, and our stamina wanes. Faith is like that. I had to restart my running after a recent heart attack. It was time to be serious about getting out on the road again. At first, it was all...